Rachel’s mood was already bad, and running into Howard made it worse. She could feel her frustration rising.

Her usually calm eyes narrowed with irritation. “Let go of me, or call for help.”

“Are you going to call your husband?” Howard laughed mockingly as he tilted his head toward the room, his eyes following the scene inside. “But he seems pretty busy.”

His words cut deep. What seemed like a harmless joke felt like a knife twisting in Rachel’s heart.

She looked inside, her stomach tightening as she saw Samantha leaning against William’s shoulder, her cheeks flushed. William, with a drink in his hand, was laughing and chatting with Zane and the others, completely relaxed. It was a version of him Rachel had never seen before.

No wonder Zane had said earlier that everything felt too stiff whenever she was around. He wanted to have fun but had to hold back because of her presence.

Rachel’s lips curled into a bitter smile. She really was a bother, wasn’t she?

Howard was a madman, and the patriarch of his family was a retired military officer. In Yurelia City, only the Lewis family could rival the Ziegler family in terms of power. Rachel had once been under William’s protection, and while Howard still had some respect for him, things were different now.

She had no choice but to outsmart him.

Furrowing her brow, she asked, “What do you want, exactly?”

“Nothing much. You embarrassed me back in college. How about you make it up to me with a drink? A little apology for all that humiliation.”

Howard tried to mimic sign language by making hand gestures to Rachel, but after a few moments of awkwardly flailing his hands, he seemed frustrated. “Damn, your ears are really a pain in the ass!”

At that moment, a waiter passed by with a tray of drinks. Howard grabbed two glasses, keeping one for himself. He raised the other toward Rachel, his eyes challenging.

“Drink this, and we’ll call it even. How about it?”

Rachel hesitated, but her only thought now was to leave. This place, this situation–she just wanted to get away. Besides, the drinks had been brought over by a waiter, so Howard probably hadn’t known Rachel would be here.

She picked up the glass. “I hope you keep your word.”

Howard’s grin widened. “Yeah, drink up and you can go.”

Rachel downed the drink quickly, then set the empty glass back on the waiter’s tray. “I can leave now, right?”

Howard smiled and moved aside, gesturing for her to pass. “Of course.”

Relieved, Rachel took a step forward, but before she could take another, her body suddenly felt weak. In that instant, panic surged through her.

There had been something in the alcohol.

Realizing this, she didn’t hesitate. She turned and ran for the door desperate to get out. But before she could even make it, Howard grabbed her arm. His voice followed, dripping with smug satisfaction.

“You were careless. But don’t worry. Soon, we’ll be right across from William. He’ll have his fun, and we’ll have ours.”

Rachel struggled to break free, but her body was like jelly–completely powerless. She tried to scream, but the words barely left her lips.

Chapter 12

“L–let go of me!”

Howard gave a cold, sinister laugh as he bent down, lifting Rachel to carry her into the private room opposite William’s. In the moment he turned, Rachel caught sight of William, who was clinking glasses with Samantha. Her ears were tinted pink and her face was radiant with a shy smile, looking truly happy.

Despair flooded Rachel as she closed her eyes, her heart feeling as though it was being tightly squeezed, threatening to suffocate her. Hot tears slid down her cheeks.

As the door to the private room opened, Howard turned to the waiter behind him and tossed out a casual warning. “Keep your mouth shut.”

The waiter nodded frantically. “Yes, of course.”

Rachel opened her mouth to scream, but Howard clamped a hand over her lips. He shoved her onto a leather couch as the door slowly swung shut behind them. Her desperate gaze locked onto that narrowing sliver of light–her last hope–until it vanished with a final click.

Howard’s eyes raked over her with predatory leisure.

Rachel was the kind of woman who made people do a double–take when they saw her. It wasn’t just the elegant symmetry of her features; every inch of her was calculated perfection, from the arch of her brows to the curve of her collarbones.

Howard had met all kinds of beautiful women, but none like her. She seemed cold and distant, like she didn’t care about anything. Yet, there was something about her–something fierce underneath, like a quiet fire.

Howard licked his lips, his eyes dark with hunger as he reached for Rachel’s clothes.

“Tonight’s gonna be fun,” he muttered.

Howard was just unbuckling his belt when a cool, detached male voice cut through the air behind him: “Have you really sunk so low as to force yourself on women, Mr. Ziegler?”

Rachel could see Howard’s face freeze momentarily before he turned with a thunderous expression.

“Tyler Hunt!” Howard spat. “Since when did you become so fond of meddling in others‘ affairs?”

“Purely coincidental,” Tyler replied languidly. “This happens to be my private room. Can’t afford a hotel room, Mr. Ziegler? Is this where you conduct your business now? In a place like this?”

Howard scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “The hell’s it to you?” He glanced at Rachel's pale face and sneered. “Wait…. You want her for yourself? But then, what’ll William say?”

Tyler didn’t react. He just strolled to the couch, lit a cigarette, and took a slow drag. “You’ve got one minute. Pull up your pants and get out.”

“You think you can threaten me? Who do you think you are?!” Howard snarled.

Tyler blew out smoke, his voice lazy but sharp. “Touch her, and it’ll be all over the headlines tomorrow. How do you think your grandfather will react?”

As Tyler spoke, he put out his cigarette and raised his phone, camera lens aimed squarely at Howard.

For a second, rage flashed in Howard’s eyes, but then he zipped his pants and grabbed his jacket.

“Getting cozy with him? Aren’t you afraid the Lewis family will flay you for this?” he hissed at Rachel.

Rachel had no idea what he meant. What did Tyler have to do with the Lewis family?

Howard could do nothing but let his prey go. Swallowing his rage, he yanked the door open and stormed out.

Tyler rose and approached Rachel, looking down at her flushed face with a frown.

“Where are your survival instincts?” he asked drily.

“The drink… the waiter brought it.” She panted, her breathing uneven. “I didn’t think–”

Without another word, Tyler scooped her up and carried her out, taking her straight to the hotel next door.

“Howard’s drugs work fast. It’s too late to send you to the hospital. Cold shower. Now.”

Rachel clenched her fists, her vision already going hazy. “Yeah.”

Steadying herself with trembling hands, she lowered herself into the bathtub and turned on the cold water. The icy shock against her skin should have helped, but it wasn’t enough. The heat inside her only grew worse, crawling under her skin like a thousand ants.

Her entire body burned, every nerve screaming with desperate need. Something primal clawed at her insides, demanding release.

Outside, Tyler took a slow drag of his cigarette, watching through the half–open door. Her struggle told him everything.

“Should I call William?” he asked.

Rachel’s fingers dug into the porcelain edge of the bathtub, her knuckles turning white with strain.

“N–no,” she forced out between gritted teeth.

But she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on. If she went to a hospital now, she might not make it in time. What if she lost control on the way there?